Creating a Simple, Godly Life while homeschooling 4 children eight years and younger.

Deuteronomy 6:7 "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Frugal Living- Homemade Detergent for less than $30/year!

I am finally back with a Frugal Living tip (no longer Frugal Fridays because honestly I can't promise you it will be on friday every week, that's just life) and this week's tip is one that has been a huge blessing to me and my family over the last month.....Homemade Laundry Detergent!

I know most of you probably, like me, have heard and read about a lot of people doing this lately but I was always skeptical about it and maybe you are as well. For one, I was skeptical that it really would actually save me money because honestly with all my coupon and store dealings I can get detergent pretty darn cheap a lot of times. So I found this posting on pinterest and it stated that I could make a years worth of laundry detergent for $28! Well that just made me very curious, because even with the best deals I have made on laundry with coupons, it still would cost me $30 in just 3 months. Secondly I was skeptical of how well it could work, because I have 4 wild and tough kiddos who get clothes very dirty, especially that almost 2 year old! I need something I know that works. Well this recipe I spoke of that was on Pinterest, it had Oxyclean in it and who can go wrong with Oxyclean! Plus Purex Crystals for a wonderful smell as a bonus.

So now they have me hooked and I am ready to try this out!

My results over the last month? I LOVE it! As far as cost, I bought everything needed for it for about $38 (cost is all going to depend on your store and sales). Also I didn't use any coupons when buying this items because I did not have any at the time, so you actually could do it for less if you use your coupons. It made about half of a large 5 gallon bucket and I just keep my (for handing use) in the Purex Crystals bottle. In the last month, I STILL have not gone through the entire Purex bottle, I am just now getting close to the bottom.

As far as cleaning power? My clothes come out just as clean as with any other detergent (and I was a Tide girl all the way). Granted you still are gonna need to pre-treat certain stains. Also my clothes come out smelling wonderful! I don't think I will ever buy detergent again.

So do I have you curious enough yet? Good! Then here's the recipe for my version of the homemade
laundry detergent:

1 five gallon bucket (found at any home improvement store for cheap, but don't forget the lid :o) )
1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (This is optional but I highly recommend adding it)
3 Bars of Ivory Soap- Found in the beauty aisle ( the original recipe called for Zote Soap but i could not find it at my grocery store so i just used Ivory and it has worked great. You can also use Fels Naptha)
1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the cooking aisle (You could also get two 2 lb box, we couldn’t find the larger 4lb box when we went)
1-2 (55 oz each) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (This is 100% optional)

The hardest part will be grating the soap, but honestly it really wasn't too bad and I have very bad hands. After grating the soap you just start adding each ingredient little by little, and add it in layers and mix as you go, I promise you this will save you a lot of pain in the end. Then I just filled up my Purex Crystals bottle with some of the detergent and stuck the 5 gallon bucket away in storage for later use!

Now go show this off to your family and have a Simple God filled Sunday!

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About Me

Alyssa is a happily married, homeschooling mom of 4. Boys-8 and 5yr, Girls- 6yrs and 20months. I am a born again Christian and Thank God for where I am today. Our God is an AWESOME God and I wouldn't be where I am without him.